OAKLAND, Calif. -- Kawhi Leonard raised his arms high in triumph and celebrated Canada's first NBA championship.
"We the North!" is now "We the Champs!"
Leonard and the Toronto Raptors captured the country's first major title in 26 years with a road victory in the franchise's NBA Finals debut, outlasting the battered and depleted two-time defending champion Golden State Warriors 114-110 on Thursday night in Game 6.
Stephen Curry missed a contested three-pointer in the waning seconds before Golden State called a timeout it didn't have, giving Leonard a technical free throw with 0.9 seconds left to seal it. Leonard, the NBA Finals MVP for a second time, then got behind Andre Iguodala for a layup as the buzzer sounded, but it went to review and the basket was called off before Leonard's two free throws. That only delayed the celebration for a moment.
When it actually ended, the typically stoic Leonard could let it all out. A Canadian team -- not talking hockey here -- stood on top of one of the traditional major sports leagues for the first time since the Toronto Blue Jays won the 1993 World Series.
Serge Ibaka pulled his head up through the hoop by the Golden State bench as the crowd chanted "Warriors! Warriors!" after a sensational send-off at Oracle Arena.
Curry walked away slowly, hands on his head on a night when Klay Thompson suffered a left knee injury and departed with 30 points.
Fred VanVleet rescued the Raptors down the stretch with his dazzling shooting from deep to score 22 points with five three-pointers off the bench, while Leonard wound up with 22 points. Kyle Lowry scored the game's first eight points and finished with 26 in all to go with 10 assists and 7 rebounds.
The Raptors pulled off a third consecutive victory on Golden State's home floor that said goodbye to NBA basketball after 47 seasons. And the Raptors did it with the very kind of depth that helped define Golden State's transformation into a dynasty the past five seasons.
This time, the Warriors were wounded.
Golden State already was down two-time reigning NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant, who had surgery Wednesday for a ruptured right Achilles tendon. Then, the Warriors lost Thompson -- and they couldn't overcome just one more injury.
"What I've witnessed as their coach over the last five years is just an incredible combination of talent and character and commitment to each other," Warriors Coach Steve Kerr said. "This just doesn't happen. A group of guys like this doesn't come around together and do what they did over the last five years."
This thrilling back-and-forth game featured 18 lead changes, nine ties and neither team going ahead by more than nine points.
Curry scored 21 points but shot just 6 for 17 and went 3 of 11 on three-pointers. Iguodala added 22 for his biggest game this postseason as the Warriors did everything until the very last moment to leave a lasting legacy at Oracle.
Thompson provided his own dramatic memory. He injured his knee when fouled by Danny Green on a drive at the 2:22 mark of the third, was helped off the court and walked partially down a tunnel toward the locker room, then -- shockingly -- re-emerged to shoot his free throws before going out again at 2:19. He didn't return and left the arena on crutches.
In their best Bay Area version of Jurassic Park -- Toronto's jam-packed gathering spot to cheer the Raptors -- hundreds of red-clad fans stayed long after the game ended to watch the Larry O'Brien trophy ceremony. They waved the Maple Leaf and sang "O Canada" just as they did here after winning previously this series.
Lowry's hot start was almost fitting. It was the Toronto guard who got shoved on the sideline in Game 3 by Warriors minority owner Mark Stevens, now banned by the league and team for a year.
The Raptors, in their 24th season of existence, rallied from two games down to beat the Bucks in the Eastern Conference finals then took down the mighty Warriors on their home floor to deny Golden State a three-peat.
Raptors Coach Nick Nurse knew minimizing turnovers would be key, along with knocking down more three-pointers after going 8 for 32 on 3s in a 106-105 Game 5 defeat as the Warriors staved off elimination Monday in Toronto. The Raptors hit 5 of their first 6 from long range and finished 13 of 33 and converted 23 of 29 free throws.
Curry and these Warriors never, ever count themselves out. Yet down 3-1 in their fifth consecutive NBA Finals, they didn't have the health it took to win the past two titles and three of the past four against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Sports on 06/14/2019